Yellow Jackets’ Youth Leads Way Against Trevecca

by Tim Miller

The Cedarville Yellow Jackets (4-4, 2-1 G-MAC) poured it on the Trevecca Nazarene Trojans on Thursday night, winning in a 94-64 blowout. Five players reached double figures for the Yellow Jackets in a complete dismantling of the Trojans.

Cedarville’s leading scorer was freshman forward Isaiah Speelman. Speelman scored 20 points and was dynamic, shooting 4-6 from behind the arc.

“Isaiah had a great night,” head coach Pat Estepp said. “He shot well but he played well too. He did some good things defensively.”

Sophomore forward Conner TenHove recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Branden Maughmer and redshirt freshman forward Quinton Green each tallied 13 points. Freshman forward Kollin Van Horn scored 10 points.

The Yellow Jackets dished out 24 assists tonight, which was by far a season-high.

“We did a really good job of moving the ball,” Estepp said. “Twenty-four assists on 31 made baskets is a pretty good night.”

Cedarville’s full-court press successfully trapped and pressured the Trojans early in the game, which kept Trevecca from getting in a rhythm on the offensive end. After TenHove drilled a triple with 14:34 left, Cedarville led 12-4.

Green made a reverse layup off an inbound pass with 12:52 remaining to give Cedarville its first 10-point lead of the game at 16-6. TenHove came back with a triple on the next two possessions to put the Yellow Jackets up 22-8 with 11:40 on the clock. The onslaught forced Trevecca to call yet another timeout.

The Yellow Jackets’ offense continued its assault of Trevecca, and Cedarville went up 33-13 with 6:55 remaining after Speelman hit a pair of free throws.

Cedarville led 48-28 at halftime. TenHove had 14 points and seven rebounds and Maughmerhad 11 points and four assists. The Yellow Jackets shot 59 percent from the field as a team compared to TNU’s 41 percent (20 percent from behind the arc).

Trevecca was surprisingly hot to open the second, draining three of its four attempts from behind the arc in the first five minutes. It wasn’t close to enough, as Cedarville’s offense continued to fire away. During Trevecca’s hot start to the second, the Trojans still couldn’t come any closer than a 17-point deficit.

Cedarville reached a 30-point margin after Speelman made two more free throws. With 9:31 left, the Yellow Jackets owned a commanding 74-45 lead.

The Yellow Jackets cruised and never let the game get away from them. Reserves were able to enjoy significant playing time in a game that allowed Cedarville to rest its starters with just one full day off before its next matchup.

“When you’re up really early, you want to make sure you’re still working hard,” Estepp said. “We chart hustle stats and we had a record for hustle stats tonight. To do that with a lead, that shows the character of our guys.”

Cedarville’s last of six home games in a row comes on Saturday when the Yellow Jackets face the Panthers of Kentucky Wesleyan. The Yellow Jackets suffered two losses to Kentucky Wesleyan last season by a combined nine points.